Connected by Thread
by l0stinl0ve
Summary: All Darcy's life, and since Bruce was 16, they both found themselves following a gut feeling, putting them in the same place, in each other vicinity, up until the Hulk decides to check to make sure she's safe from the Chitauri. After that, their relationship only develops from there.


**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything, I'd be rich. I'm dirt poor though, so you know what that means. The companies that own the characters, the universe, anything you recognize, they're all richer (at least in comparison to me)  
**Warnings:** Explicit Sexual Content  
**Author's Notes:** Written for a prompt at avengerkinkmeme asking for Bruce/Darcy, Soulmate AU. I've never written a Soulmate AU, and I didn't want what I wrote to be horribly cliche, so this is what I came up with. Hope it fits?

* * *

**Connected by Thread**

Darcy was only sort of excited to receive the phone call from Jane. She was sort of busy, _trying not to die_, while still watching the whale from outer space floated by her office window.

"Hi, Jane. Can't really talk right now."

"Darcy!" Jane shouted into the phone, making Darcy cringe. "Are you okay? New York's under attack. Tell me you didn't already start that new job."

"Sort of there, right now. First day and all that. Watching a huge thing swing by," Darcy replied, stepping away as a huge green blur ran in her direction. "Let me call you back."

Hanging up, Darcy was surprised to find the blur not so blurry, having stopped in front of her. The large beast? Monster? Man? Whatever he was, his nostrils flared, but he didn't look angry, so Darcy wasn't going to scream. Plus, she was pretty sure she had seen it before somewhere.

"Can I help you? Or are you going to go take out the aliens?"

Smirking, the green thing reached out towards her. She did _not_ flinch, but she did brace herself as it patted her on the head. "**Safe,**" it growled, then ran towards the shattered windows and took out a few more aliens.

Gaping in the direction it went, Darcy wanted to ask herself what had just happened. But since the whole Thor thing, and actually, realizing that she had seen the green thing before when she tried to get into Columbia, she felt very nonplussed. She was getting used to the sort of weird her life had become.

"Miss Lewis," a voice practically screeched from behind her. "Due to the circumstances of today, I don't think that we'll be needing you anymore."

Pursing her lips, she simply nodded, and walked back to her temporary cubicle. Well, that just sucked. Grabbing her purse, she pulled out her phone once more, and dialed Jane back.

"So, turns out I don't have a job anymore."

"Are you going to go back home?" Jane asked, for once, full attention on her ex-assistant.

"Naw, I feel like I'm supposed to be in New York." And wasn't that the truth. She had already moved into the room she opted to rent in the city, and figured with everyone probably fleeing the city, a job would turn up somewhere.

Bruce didn't know why he accepted Tony's offer to stay at the tower, be 'science bros', and do science!

Well, that was a lie, but he pretended otherwise. Especially around Tony.

He stayed because he felt like it was what he was supposed to? That didn't really explain it accurately, though. There was just this string pulling on his gut, telling him that leaving would be a bad idea.

It was a feeling he was used to, having felt something like it since he was sixteen, but it had never been as strong as it was today.

Ignoring it, he strolled into his lab, only to be bombarded by a slew of new people huddled around Tony's side of the room.

"And here's the good doctor now." Tony clapped, drawing everyone's attention to Bruce.

He steeled himself for the onslaught, and tried to ignore the sliver of fear that shot through the eyes of several of the members - clearly SHIELD agents, Bruce would bet on it.

"Oh my Thor," one voice gasped out, hand thrown over her mouth. Her eyes were wide, but not in fear, but wonder. Bruce cringed. "Your Doctor Bruce Banner!" She squealed, jumping up and down.

His eyes did not draw down to her ample chest. _They did not_. But the Other Guy growled in the back of his mind as Bruce noticed that all the other men in the room's eyes _did_. Bruce noted how she seemed familiar somehow, but couldn't place her.

"Bing is going to be _so_ jealous!" Pulling out her cell phone, she swiped at the screen, then handed it to Jane, and skipped over towards him. Pressing up against him, she grinned. "Take the picture."

"What's going on?" Bruce finally croaked, ridiculously confused.

"Whose Bing?" An agent asked.

"You're crazy." Tony smirked, probably from the red blooming on Bruce's cheeks. Sure, a shock stick wouldn't do anything to him. But put a beautiful young women in his vicinity, pressing into his personal bubble with all her focus on him, in a non-scared way, and he'd feel something.

"Did you get the picture, Jane?" Ignoring everyone else, she grinned when Jane nodded.

Bruce admired how soft the skin of her arm felt. He tried not to focus on how she could probably fit in his arms perfectly.

"Sweet. Send it to Bing. Now." Spinning to face Bruce, she continued, "Tony Stark decided to commandeer Jane from SHIELD. She came willingly, no matter what she says." Darcy raised a hand to stop the retort ready to leave the female scientist's mouth. "I'm her assistant until sometime in the future when I find something more interesting or I get bored. Both highly unlikely. The agents are here because, like I said, Tony Stark commandeered one of their scientist _consultants_. Which, if SHIELD was smart, and you'd think a secret spy organization would be _smart_ and have a better legal department. Because her contract clearly stated that she could work with any other company as long as she kept the existence of Asgard a secret and it wasn't affiliated with an enemy organization," Darcy rambled, throwing her hands in the air as she spoke. "And, if that was the case, wouldn't that mean SHIELD was working with an enemy organization, since Tony Stark is technically a consultant as well. So go figure. The agents should fucking leave now, since I've given them the explanation to give to their boss." She spun to stare at them, and glared. "Bing is my brother Bingley. And shut up Jane, we'll talk about my parents' love of all things Austen later." Looking directly at Tony Stark, she pointed a finger at him, in a stern manner, shaking it. "And I may be weird. But understand this, _I am awesome._"

The whole room gaped.

Pointing towards the door, she growled at the agents. "Leave. Now."

Not so surprisingly, they listened, and left, leaving only Bruce, Tony, Dr. Foster with the scary (but pretty damn hot, if Bruce would admit it) assistant.

"Is it later yet?" Jane asked, breaking the silence.

"Fine," Darcy huffed, shuffling back towards a new desk in the lab. Seating herself in the wheely chair, she swung back and forth. "They met at a Jane Austen Literary Festival. So me and Bing are their ode to that?"

"Wait," Tony jumped into the conversation. "Your name is Darcy and he's named Bing? As in Bingley?"

Crossing her arms (emphasizing her chest, but Bruce tried to ignore it, which was _hard_), she scowled. "And what of it?"

"That's fucking priceless!"

"Whatever." Ignoring the obnoxious man, she looked at Jane. "Did you send the picture to my brother?"

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up: To more than I can be._

Making the grabby hands, Darcy jumped out of her seat. "Gimme! Gimme!" Jane tossed the phone, and Darcy smiled, answering the call and putting it on speaker.

_"I hate you."_

All Darcy did was laugh. Bruce looked towards Tony, wondering if he knew what was going on. The man had a calculating look on his face, which Bruce tried to ignore. That look tended to precede things Bruce never enjoyed. The Other Guy growled again, for some reason, adamant that he take care of this woman.

_"No, really. This is so unfair."_

"Why don't you say hi?" Darcy's smirk sent a shudder down Bruce's spine. The free spirited girl was going to be the death of him, he knew it.

_"Oh god, I'm on speaker, aren't I?"_

"But of course." The smirk turned feral.

The loud gulp was easily heard over the speaker. _"Hello, Doctor Banner."_

"Um, hi?" Bruce replied, unsure of what he was meant to be doing. Wasn't today supposed to be just a normal day in the lab? Of course not, he had decided to move in with Tony Stark. Normal had said goodbye the moment he step foot into the tower.

_"Please don't let my sister's behaviour in any way reflect on me. Nor her lack of understanding anything science-_"

"I majored in Political _Science_!"

"Doesn't count," her brother, Jane, and Tony all said.

Muttering under her breath, Bruce smiled at her. She was cute, he could admit that to himself. Thinking Political Science counted as a science.

_"I really did try. She was even in science club her freshmen year of highschool."_

"Anyway, Bing. I'll call you after work today. Love you." Smacking her lips in the sound of a kiss, drawing Bruce's eyes to them. She hung up on her brother.

"That was rude," Tony teased.

"Like you haven't done worse," Darcy snarked back, putting her phone in her purse and hiding it in the desk drawer.

"You were in science club?" Jane asked.

"Eh. I was a freshman. Bing was a senior. I didn't know anyone else to hang out with during lunch. Made friends with the nerds."

"And never left ever since?"

"Nope. Why do you think I'm so pro at the scientist wrangling. Speaking of which, Mr. Stark, you were informing us of our new roles in your company before we were rudely interrupted by the jack booted thugs."

Bruce shook his head. Life was going to get a whole lot more complicated, he knew. Staying in one place was already proving to be a task, but learning to associate with civilians (very beautiful, young, vibrant civilians) would be the icing to the cake.

"Bingley Lewis is your brother?" Bruce asked from the other side of the room.

Darcy was at her desk, quietly cursing at the computer, frustrated with Jane's SHIELD assigned assistants. Did no one understand why she organized things the way she did? None of this made any sense. Her system had made sense. So much sense, that _Jane_ could actually manage to find things. She bet those idiotic _jack booted_ assistants simply let Jane do as she wished, and just helped with the science. "Idiots. All of them."

"Miss Lewis?" Bruce asked, once more, standing on the opposite side of her desk now.

"Eww." Her face screwed up in disgust. "Don't ever, _ever_ call me that. My Spanish teacher would call me that, and he would say it in the most _lascivious_ manner." Cringing, she tried to shake off the disgust. "I still have nightmares." She saw a flash of green in the quiet doctor's eyes, and gave him a small smile. "No worries, dude. Took care of that, easy. Good old _Feller of Gods_ - my taser, mind you, but it wasn't named that then, it was just _Lydia_ - and reporting him to the principle did that."

Keeping the laughing to herself, she watched as confusion spread through him.

"I ramble, by the way, so if you're addled, give it a minute." She turned back to the computer screen, trying to find the information the idiots should have entered in regards to the alien invasion. She need to collate the data garnered from the portal and compare it to when Thor travelled via rainbow bridge.

"Feller of Gods? Lydia?"

Startled, she jumped a little in her seat. She spun around to face him once more. Making a mental note to yell at some SHIELD people later, she smiled at the man. "I tased Thor when he first crash landed here. Hence, _Feller of Gods_. Before that," patting on the drawer where her taser rested, "it was _Lydia_ because she was an annoying bitch, and have you ever been tased? Pretty annoying."

"I can't say I've ever been tased." He gave her a small smile, and it just warmed Darcy's heart. Without even thinking about it, she vowed to make the man smile more. She also vowed to make the man look her in the eye. Sure, he wasn't staring at her chest, but he was staring at her nose. She had an awesome nose, sure, but Darcy liked to think her eyes were her better feature. "So your brother is Bingley Lewis?"

Staring at the man's fluffy hair, she wished she could lean over the desk and run her fingers through it. "Oh. Yeah, that's my good old bro."

"He was one of my most promising students. How is he?" Bruce asked, finally looking her in the eye.

Darcy felt lost in the depth of his brown eyes. She always thought brown eyes were boring, as she loved the grey-blue of her own irises, but just. Wow. "Oh, he's good. Umm. He's actually trying to follow in your footsteps. Well, not the whole turn green and mean, but become a professor. Inspire young people like you did to him." She wanted to punch herself in the mouth at the cringe the scientist let out when she referenced his other half. "Ah, sorry, if that was wrong of me to say."

"No, no." He shook it off with his hand. "It's just, other than Tony, most people skirt around the issue. Afraid that just mentioning it would trigger a transformation."

"Would it? I want to tell him thanks."

"Thanks?" He croaked, and didn't he just look all sorts of adorable? Darcy was going to enjoy working with him if he was this easy to rile up.

"Yeah. I met him once. Well, twice, if you count that one time at Culver," she noted that he cringed, another topic to avoid. "But we didn't talk then. But I was starting at this other job here in the city when he ran through the office and just stopped to check if I was safe after some windows exploded."

"You could have been hurt!" He raised his voice, eyes raking her body. Not to check her out, she noticed, unhappily, but to make sure she was all in one piece.

"Well when the space whales knocked out the windows, maybe? I don't know. He seemed pretty cool. He even gave me a cute smile."

"Cute?" His voice was reaching the high decibel range, and Darcy couldn't hold back the smile at how incredulous he sounded.

"Yeah. Cute. Don't hate. At least I don't like tentacles or some other weird thing like that." Darcy's smile grew, practically splitting her face, at how wide Bruce's eyes became at the comment. Yeah, she was going to _love_ this job. "So anyway, yeah. When I was ten, I heard you giving a lecture, defending your dissertation on something physics. It was what inspired my brother to become full-on geek. Before that, it was just the occasional science. But since then, nope. He is almost on Jane's level."

"You were there? At CalTech?"

"We lived nearby kind of? And my brother was going to go there until you started teaching at Culver. I don't know. My parents would drop us off at the campus all the time and tell us to sit in on things, absorb, learn." Darcy shrugged. It used to be something she'd hold against her parents, because seriously, _she was ten_, but looking back. She learned quite a bit and it made her and Bing really close. So she wouldn't complain. Much. "Yup. And I sat in one of your classes when I was thirteen, because Bingley wouldn't _shut up_ about you being his teacher, so I had to see if you lived up to the hype."

"And did I?" He was still looking at her eyes, his lips quirked in amusement.

"Surprisingly, yes. You made it all sound so simple, that even I could understand the rudimentary parts." Preening, she sat up straight, only slightly pushing out her chest, happy to note his eyes quickly glance down at them and immediately return to her face. "I went back to science club and became the _Queen_ of the nerds."

"Queen of the nerds, huh?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

Before she could retort, Tony and Jane called him over to the bring-Thor-back-contraption they were building. Other than the whole hating on SHIELD - which, now that she was free, she could go on that rampage she planned earlier - this was probably the best morning she had had since moving to New York.

It was just Darcy's luck, really, being caught off guard, outside the tower when the bad guy of the week decides that he doesn't believe in Sunday being a day of rest. The tower went on lockdown, when under attack, and all Darcy wanted was some bagels from the deli three blocks away. Was that so difficult? Apparently.

She was on her way back, strolling along, minding her own business, when the sound of fire blasting at speeds faster than sound came from above. Sighing, she quickened her stride, attempting to make it to the tower before JARVIS made it impossible to enter.

She almost made it too. Literally a step away, door handle within arm's reach, when some sort of projectile - it was on fire - landed to the right of her, making her pause. Cursing to herself, the Avengers, and SHIELD, she stomped her foot at the sound of the lock clicking.

So she was at ground zero of the battle, and her bagels were getting cold. She took a moment to assess her surroundings, most of the fighting was on the other side of the building, and the street was clear enough that she had a direct path to the Starbucks that Tony was boycotting. Darcy was in on the boycott, figuring it would be wise to follow her boss's example - and boycotting Starbucks was the most normal thing she could model after Tony - but given the circumstances, she figured Tony would understand.

She ordered herself her an old favorite, a white mocha frappucino with cinnamon dolce, a pump of hazelnut, cinnamon sugar blended in and topped off with whipped cream and some extra cinnamon sugar. Just giving the order made her mouth water, and reminded her of her older brother. The 'cinnamon toast crunch frappuccino' was Bing's creation, and he swore by it during midterms and finals. After four years of college, following the same plan, Darcy could swear by it as well.

Finding an empty armchair by the window, Darcy hunkered down, planning to get as comfortable as possible for the duration of the fight. Most of the other patrons of the shop kept as far away from the windows, and it seemed they had the right idea when a loud crash was heard making the furniture rattle.

Next thing Darcy knew, the Hulk was staring at her from the other side of the window, hand pressed against the glass.

Fortunately, everyone else was too surprised to scream, giving Darcy the chance to wave at him and step outside.

"Hey, big guy." Patting him on the arm, she gave the tower a once over. Noting that most of the fighting occurred on the opposite side of her brand new suite. Sweet, her windows should still be intact.

**"Hi, Darcy."**

"So how was the fight?" She asked, leading him towards the entrance to the tower. Hopefully lockdown was over. SHIELD probably didn't want Hulk to be out amongst the crowd. Too much potential collateral damage. At least, if he did anything to the tower, Tony could afford to fix things.

**"Hulk smash good."**

"I noticed that." Trying to open the door, Darcy pouted when it remained shut.

The Hulk must've noticed her disappointment at the door and softly pushed her aside. Somehow managing to fit two of his thick fingers around the handle, he pulled the door open, breaking the lock.

Like she said, Tony could afford any damage. "Thanks, big guy." She grinned at him, happy to see him match her smile. "So what do you want to do?"

Seeing a huge green monster shrug was something for the books. Darcy's world was seriously weird. When a few SHIELD agents rushed out of the stairwell with their guns cocked, Darcy was unhappy to see the Hulk step in front of her.

Hitting him in the shoulder, she grabbed his attention. "Hey. I don't need you to protect me." Somehow managing to see the agents through the opening between his arm and side, she smirked at them all gaping at her. Yeah, she was badass enough to just chill with the Hulk. "I ain't no damsel in distress, buddy."

**"Darcy soft. Guns hurt Darcy."**

Shrugging, Darcy placed her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to crouch, so she could reach. She didn't think it was her imagination that he was purring. "True. But they're SHIELD agents who are going to put away their guns. And they'll leave us alone while you and I try and find Tony. Maybe he has something to keep us entertained."

**"Metal Man have things to smash?"**

"Probably." Gulping down the remainder of her drink, she gave the empty coffee cup to one of the still gaping agents as Hulk followed her into the stairwell - he wouldn't fit in the elevator. She shrieked when the Hulk picked her up and began climbing the endless stairs. "Thanks big guy. But this still doesn't make me the damsel in distress."

Finally realizing that the Other Guy wouldn't hurt Darcy, and in fact had spent more time just hanging out with the girl than Bruce had, Bruce decided to man up and ask her out. He was ready to woo her, convince her that something romantic between them was possible, but was stunned when she smiled and replied with a yes before he could even finish asking his question.

Somehow he figured Tony was the culprit. He knew he shouldn't have confided to the loud mouth. But whatever, it made the whole thing less embarrassing, he guessed. It all worked out in the end. He still wouldn't go looking for the man to help him figure out what to wear on the date.

Darcy had called him cute, said she found the rumpled professor look attractive, so Bruce told himself not to worry about what he was going to wear (khaki trousers with a wrinkled button down shirt). Instead, he focused on figuring out where to take her.

Because he was meant to pick her up five minutes ago, and still had no idea where they were going to eat.

And he refused to ask Tony for help.

Tapping his foot in the elevator, he contemplated just taking her to a small hole in the wall Italian place that was within walking distance. His gut was telling him that Darcy would be perfectly happy with that, but his mind was saying he needed to do a bit more to impress her.

The elevator doors opened, startling Bruce, especially when he found Darcy standing there with a scowl on his face.

"I'm-"

"Shut it." She pushed him aside, glared at him, and then wrapped her arm around his. "You are late; not standing me up as I originally expected, so I will only be upset with you for the elevator ride. And I get to pick where we eat."

Giving her a small smile, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "That sounds fair."

"Great." Bouncing on her feet, she bopped him on the nose with her free hand, and pulled him out of the elevator. "I'm feeling Italian."

At least he had the right idea? Maybe he didn't have to be late and should have taken her to that place. He didn't really get to ponder it much, as he was trying not to keep up with her babbling, and not focus on the feel of her hands on his arm.

Bruce didn't pay attention to the direction they were walking, just listening to the sound of her voice as she recalled her day.

He was surprised when she suddenly stopped. Exactly in front of the place he had thought about taking her while on the elevator. His cheeks reddened at the thought.

"Why the blush?" She teased, letting him open the door and lead her inside.

Sheepishly, he replied, "I was late because I couldn't decide where to take you. I thought about this place, but figured for a first date, something more fancy might've been better."

The restaurant didn't require them to wait to be seated, so he followed her to what she said was her favorite booth in the place.

"So how did you find this place?" He asked, pulling her chair for her. She grinned at his chivalrous nature, something Bruce hadn't done in a long time. He didn't even want to think about the last time he went out with a girl (Betty), or had sex (a Canadian after the mishap in Harlem on his way to India).

"A cousin referred it to me when I was applying to grad school."

"You're not in school, though?"

"Well, things happened. Bing said maybe I should stay out of New York for a while. After the whole Harlem thing," she gave him a shy look, through her lashes, and Bruce couldn't help but find her adorable.

"Sorry." He wasn't though. Not really, because if he hadn't, then she probably wouldn't be here right now.

"Eh," she shrugged. "It didn't feel right anyway. I ended up spending the summer travelling through Asia. Never really felt right though."

The waitress intruded on them, taking their orders, stopping to catch up with Darcy (a regular) for a few minutes. Bruce used the time to just study the woman. She was dressed as she usually was, just a little more cleaned up. She wore a pair of tights under a jean skirt and a nice green v-neck sweater. His gut clenched at the way she laughed, and he couldn't hold back a smile.

"Why you smiling?" She asked as the waitress left.

"Nothing." Giving her a smile, he tried to continue their conversation from where they left off. "I was in Asia. Well, India, to be exact."

"I didn't make it that far. I started in the Philippines because Bing's girlfriend's family is from there, and oh man, have you ever had adobo? Like, legit Filipino adobo? _So good_."

"I think the only Filipino food I've ever had is pancit? I think that's the name. It's their version of chow mien."

"Ha! I have the recipe so I'll make you adobo sometime. But have you ever noticed, that like, the Philippines have pancit. Thailand has pad thai. Japan has yakisoba, and China has chow mein."

"I've never actually thought about it, but it makes sense that they would have similar dishes."

"I know, but like, I only noticed it because I was there."

The waitress interrupted them once more, delivering their food. She didn't stay this time though, letting Bruce continue with their dinner conversation. "Where else did you go?"

"Well, I stayed with Marina's family for three weeks, I think? I didn't feel like I was supposed to be there, but ignored it for the delicious food. So I followed my gut, ended up in Vietnam. I was only there for, maybe a week? I stayed in Singapore for, like, three days. Didn't like it there. But I made some contact with this lady who worked here in New York. We hit it off, and she told me to look her up when I got back stateside, for a job. Then went to Bangkok and managed to stay there for two weeks, before I figured being in Asia wasn't the place for me. Came here to New York, interviewed for that job, got it." She paused in her explanation to take a large bite of her lasagna.

The moan that escaped her mouth should have been illegal for what it did to Bruce's pants.

"A few days later, I started the job, and Aliens invaded."

Bruce paused in his eating, fork midway to his mouth with spaghetti noodles wrapped around the prongs. The things Darcy was doing with her mouth to that fork. He had to shake his head to clear it, to stop imagining her lips doing other things. "If you didn't come back, where would you have gone after Thailand?"

"I was working my way towards India, actually. There was this cheap room for rent near the outskirts of Kolkata if I taught them English. I was in the middle of emailing them one evening when I decided to send my resume to the lady I met back in Singapore."

"That's weird. I was in Kolkata, actually. And then Fury brought me in." The last part was said in a whisper.

"Eh. I'm happy I'm here. Being a part of the Avengers, annoying SHIELD agents, and hanging out with my best friend Jane, and officially meeting you. All worth it." Even though she was blushing (adorably) she gave him a wide grin, that he returned.

They had been dating for a month, going out, just the two of them twice a week if the world didn't need saving, and spending at least one night a week with the rest of the team. Darcy had made it her goal in life to catch Steve up on everything that SHIELD was neglecting to teach him (which was _everything_). She was adamant that they weren't doing a good job, even if all they cared about was military history.

She had explained to captain, that history was written by the winners, and SHIELD wouldn't ever give him the full picture. He was affronted by this, but after a week with his SHIELD assigned teachers, he had believed her, and instead spent the appointed time in the labs, talking with Darcy and learning all he could. That then extended to her teaching everything about books, movies, and music. She had felt sorry for him when Tony and Bruce would make their nerd references and poke fun at Steve when he didn't catch on.

Telling Bruce that he wouldn't be getting any loving if he continued with the treatment had fixed half of the problem. Tony, though, not even a threat of telling Pepper had made him completely stop. So Darcy decided to be proactive, and fix the problem at the source, and had spent a whole weekend catching Steve up on as much pop culture as they could manage.

Which was a lot.

Throughout that time, different members and support staff would join them. Bruce had come in during _Empire Strikes Back_ and never left. Darcy figured the man missed her, and she felt good about that. She always felt good around him.

They were in the media room, for that week's movie night with the team, and Darcy had considered maybe it was finally time to take him back to her place. Their physical relationship wasn't slow-going, it was just that they hadn't had full on sex. Every step felt so amazing, they would get caught up in touching, kissing, foreplay, that they'd be too tired, or not have enough time to continue.

Which was fine, they were watching _Good Will Hunting_ and _Dead Poet's Society_ because Clint didn't believe Darcy when she said that Robin Williams could be serious. Well, that showed him.

Watching the films centering on school, everyone started talking about their own experiences. Steve, never having spent much time in college besides the one art class before the serum, was the one doing the most questioning, particularly in Darcy's direction.

She was cuddling with Bruce on _their_ couch - so says Tony, and he owned the place, so it made it true - and would nuzzle into her boyfriend's shoulder should one of Steve's question require an embarrassing response.

The worst though, was when she had a eureka moment, realizing something she hadn't really thought about until then.

"Why did you end up choosing Culver?" Steve had asked, making Jane and Bruce focus on her - being the ex-professors of the campus.

"I toured the place when I was sixteen. My brother was too busy to really show me around, even though I had been there that one time I sat in on a couple of his classes as a freshman. But when I went on the official "You're a Junior in High School and need to start making big decisions" tour, I was sneaking away from the group." She giggled at the memory. "And I had bumped into one of the professors, and umm," she hid her face in Bruce's arms, her voice muffled by his shirt. "He was really cute."

"You had a thing for your teacher?" Tony, with a mock gasp, questioned. He tried to sound scandalized, but Darcy knew better, and stuck her tongue out of him before retreating back to hiding her face. Her cheeks were blooming, the red covering all over her face. If she was naked, she was sure her _whole body_ was blushing. Now that she had made the realization, she didn't really want to admit it out loud, because seriously, it was weird enough that they had ran into each other all those times, or were nearby, or _something_, but to have started a crush on the man _eight years ago_ was just ridiculous.

"Did you ever have a class with him?" Clint asked.

"Did you two hook up?" Jane asked, sitting up in her chair, all interested now that romance was involved. Without Thor around, Jane had decided to live vicaroulsy through Darcy, which was _not cool_, but Darcy couldn't do anything about it because she felt bad. She was lucky to have her boyfriend only turn into a green rage monster when angered and whatnot. Jane had to work her science magic voodoo thing to figure out a way to get back her Asgardian alien god thing.

"Eventually?" She squeaked, only Bruce hearing. His jaw dropped at the realization of what she was saying, and Darcy sort of wished he wasn't a genius so that she would have more time to deal with the mortification. She was Darcy Lewis, she didn't do mortification, so this was a huge blow to her ego.

Unfortunately, she was in a room of geniuses and spies, so everyone was quick on the uptake.

"You had a crush on Bruce when you were sixteen!" Tony wagged a finger at her, then turned a lecherous smirk towards her boyfriend, which Darcy couldn't see since she was still hiding. "You dirty old man!"

"Jailbait!" Clint slapped his knee, bursting into laughter.

Darcy felt Bruce tense, and she wasn't having that. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her spine and came out of hiding. She glared at the two men poking fun. "If you two do not stop, I will not be held accountable for whatever sort of retaliation I deem fit," she said with an eerily serious voice.

Jane gulped, knowing that voice, and instantly sat back in her chair. Natasha and Steve, being observant, followed Jane's example.

"Yeah, like you could do anything," Clint joked, fist bumping Tony.

"As the official assistant to the Avengers, I am currently the person in charge of all your schedules, handles media relations and pretty much ensures you remain fed and well rested. You figure out all the ways I can make your life miserable."

"Schedule them read to children in the hospital, for good PR, and all," Bruce added, squeezing her into his side.

"Force them to attend the charity galas that you've so far managed to give excuses for." Natasha's eyes crinkled with the suggestion, enjoying how her two teammates' faces paled.

"Allow Fury to perform the assessments he's been trying to give each Avenger for the past month." Steve grinned, finally being able to pull one over on Tony. Darcy decided she would have to pull her resources, and use him and Natasha together to prank _the hell_ out of these two.

"Among other things," Darcy finished, letting it all sink in. She felt extra pleasure at the kiss Bruce gave her. Glad that he knew she would _always_ have his back. Even if it was against their friends.

It was date night, in the middle of their third month of dating, but this week's villain had decided to crash it, forcing Darcy to bring their untouched dinner back home. Whatever, it was more lumpia for her. She'd eat it all just to spite Bruce. Well, maybe she'd save him one Filipino eggroll, because he did say he really liked them.

Whatever. She wasn't bitter. She was totally okay with dating a superhero.

Especially when he was knocking on her door after returning from battle, no shirt, pants ripped from the knees down, looking completely disheveled and sexy as all hell. It was taking a lot of self-restraint that Darcy didn't know she had to keep from jumping him.

Instead, she just pulled him into the room, pushed him onto the couch and found a pair of sweats she had stolen from him when they first started dating.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, bringing a wet washcloth so that she could clean him up a bit.

"I've been better? Hungry." He looked around the room, particularly in the direction of the kitchen. "Did you save me some eggrolls?"

Sighing, but giving him a small shove and a smile, she got up to get his dinner. "This is not me setting the precedent of making you dinner all the time, mind you," she said as she returned with the hot meal. Noticing that his eyes were drawn to a specific picture on her bookshelf, she practically dropped the plate in his lap.

"Is that me? When I was 20?"

"I think you were 23? I was 7, so yeah. You were 23."

"Don't ever do that again," he cringed, making Darcy giggle.

"It's the truth though. And oh man, Bing was _so excited_. He had won the science fair that year. The judges were a bunch of up-and-coming scientists, and you had stopped to talk to him for like, five minutes, cementing his love of science."

Bruce shook his head, and decided focusing on his food might be better than contemplating the age difference between them, and how many times their paths had crossed in the past. Plus the almost unnatural obsession her brother had for him.

"Oh my Thor, you should totally sign this, and I can give it to him for his birthday next month!" Clapping her hands excitedly while bouncing in glee, Bruce couldn't say no to her.

They had been dating for four months, been having actual sex for two weeks, and if it wasn't for Jane's breakthrough, they would have been having sex just then. In the supply closet down the hall. Now that they finally took that last step, the pair were having a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

But no. The booty-call-through-space machine (Darcy's aptly made title) was ready. Jane needed Bruce to do a couple calibrations and keep Tony in check.

He could feel Darcy's eyes on his back as he leaned over the machine, fiddling with a couple of nobs. His mind wasn't really on the task, and he was just about to step away for a quick break (a quickie with his girlfriend) to try and get a hold of himself, when Jane exclaimed it was all ready and pushed him out of the way, practically trampling over him.

"I want to fault her for this, but I think I'd be acting just the same if it was you." Darcy had sidled up to him, taking his hands and wrapping herself in his arms.

Kissing her on the cheek, he took a moment to just breathe her in. "Me, too."

"Hopefully its you trying to get me back, and not the other way around. I don't think I could build a machine like this if it was needed."

Twining their fingers together, he rested their hands just under her chest. "Don't say that. You'd have plenty of help. And I'm sure you could just talk whoever had me into sending me back."

"If that's a jab at me being talkative, you're going to find yourself missing something you've recently found yourself enjoying."

Biting on her earlobe, he whispered into her ear, "You wouldn't be able to last." He pressed her backside into his crotch as a reminder.

He smirked as she held back a moan.

"You two," Tony snapped, "none of that in the lab."  
Before Bruce could point out that Tony canoodled with Pepper all the time, the machine whirled, drawing everyone's attention, and bringing the rest of the team to the lab.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, dressed in the full Captain America regalia.

"Thor is about to be in our presence," Darcy answered, holding her open hand towards Clint.

Muttering under his breath, Clint had placed a bill in Darcy's hand. She immediately pocketed it, but the whole exchange amused Bruce. "What was that for?"

"Told him she'd pull it off before six months."

A loud crash echoed in the room, the sound of thunder outside drowning the "thud" that everyone felt. Standing next to the machine was Thor, on one knee with Mjolnir in his grasp on the floor.

"My lady Jane, how fair thee?" He stood, smiling broadly. Stepping forward, he was about to hug the woman when she slapped him across the face.

_"You could have at least called."_

"She's right," Darcy and Natasha both whispered, fist bumping each other when they realized they were on the same page. Bruce, Clint, and Steve just shook their heads.

"I'm-"

Before he could apologize, Jane had jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around his torso and was trying to swallow his face.

"Maybe we should leave them be?" Bruce and Steve both suggested, starting to lead everyone out of the room.

Darcy was pressing her heels in, wanting to at least get to say hi to the puppy like superhero. Her hesitance must've made some sort of noise as it drew Thor and Jane apart. Or maybe they finally realized air was necessary to live.

"My fellow warriors. Lady Darcy. I am most glad to be in your company once more." It sounded like he was shouting, but Bruce figured it was his normal voice. He couldn't imagine the man ever whispering. "Are you two courting?" Thor beamed, eyes zoned in on Bruce holding Darcy's waist.

"Yes, we are. And don't you say anything to scare him off!" Darcy pointed at him. Bruce appreciated how protective she was of their relationship. It always warmed him.

"I would do no such thing," Thor responded, gravely. The serious tone drew the attention of everyone. "To come between a fated pair would go against my mother, Frigga."

"How so?" Bruce asked, pulling away from Darcy. He smiled at the fact that the action made her pout.

"She is all seeing, able to see what is to come. As an Aesir, and her child, I am able to see the string that connects those that are fated."

"There's a string connecting me to Bruce?" Darcy asked, spinning in a circle examining herself.

"Aye, that there is. This is a most splendid day. I have returned to my fair Jane, and I have found my fellow warrior is fated to my lightning-sister." His voice returned to its joyous tone as he grabbed Jane into the crook of his arm. The smile plastered across his face was hard to return, and much of the room shared similar looks. "This calls for a feast!"

"After a personal celebration, I'm sure," Bruce interjected, knowing that Jane still had much to reconcile with the man. Plus, the scientist in him wanted to explore the idea of a string connecting him to Darcy.

"You are most wise, Lady Darcy." He bowed and then followed Jane out of the lab.

"Come on," Darcy purred into Bruce's ear. Ignoring Tony's sputtering, he let Darcy lead him towards her (which slowly becoming _their_) suite

Kissing eachother held new meaning, touching each other felt like they were touching for the first time. It was like starting over. Them exploring, trying to memorize the feel, the taste, the smell of their partner, committing it to memory.

"Connected, huh?" Darcy said into his lips, nibbling on his bottom lip. They were laying in bed, in their naked glory, and just kissing.

"If you think about it, it makes sense." He trailed his lips down her jaw, nuzzling into her neck, leaving her with a fairly large hickey that he knew he would pay for later. He didn't care, because they were _connected_ and he wanted the world to know. "The compulsion to stay in New York." Leaving wet kisses, he grabbed hold of her breasts and lavished them with his tongue, teasing her by avoiding the taut peaks.

"Tease," she growled, threading her fingers into his hair. "Working my way towards India."

Taking her right nipple into his mouth, he flicked his tongue. With his other hands he tweaked at her other breast, not letting either go unnoticed. "All the encounters at Culver."

"And at CalTech," she moaned as his tongue worked its way down her abdomen.

"Since you were seven, we've been running across each other," he breathed out into the crease where hip met thigh. He continued to tease her, licking and kissing the inside of both her legs, avoiding her cunt.

Pulling him to where she most wanted him, she asked him a question that was niggling in her brain ever since that night they had watched Robin Williams movies. "Bruce, where were you on June 13th, 1988?"

Leaning up off her, he gave her a questioning look. Darcy was a little sad for opening her mouth, as it seemed like he was finally going to give in. She was about to take it back and shove his head back, when he finally responded. "I think my aunt had taken me to visit my father at the hospital."

"Was this in Pasadena?"

"Yeah." Sitting up now, he arched a brow at her.

"I was born there." She gave him a meaningful look, leaning up so that she rested on her elbows.

If Bruce wasn't concentrating, he would have been distracted by her ample chest. He was still distracted, and leaned forward to take a nipple into his mouth once more. His cock was achingly hard, and he was close to deciding that it all didn't matter. She was here now, and that was what was important. Kissing his way up her chest, he bit on her earlobe. "So, you're saying, on your birthday, I happened to be in the same hospital as you."

"Yeah," she moaned. "All my life, I've felt this pull. And it was all leading to you."

"You know, I didn't have any gut feelings until I was sixteen." Pressing his lips to hers, he caressed her tongue with his. "And if you tell Tony or Clint that, I'll find a way to punish you for it."

"Punish me?" She purred, grabbing him by the hips. He could feel her wet heat against his cock.

Biting his lip, he pulled away from her. "Yes, punish," he growled, pinching her side.

Yelping, she threw her hands to his shoulders, preparing to push him away. Bruce took the opportunity to line himself up and just as she was ready to scold him, thrusted into her.

"Oh," she moaned instead.

Thrusting hard, he pulled a leg up, pressing her knee into his shoulder, getting deeper into her. "Have. You. Noticed. How. Sex. Kisses. Touch. Just. Intimacy. Feels. Like. More?" He thrusted with each word, making it difficult for Darcy to pay attention.

"Yeah," she exhaled, wrapping her free leg around his hip. "Now. Shut. Up." She pushed herself into his thrusts, making his eyes roll into his head. Trembling, she pulled him into a soft kiss.

Slowing his thrusts, he whispered into her lips platitudes of love, which he had always intended to share with her, but knowing that they were 'fated' made the words mean all the more.

"I love you too," she responded, lips inching towards her neck. Sucking on his collarbone, she left him a hickey to match her own, making Bruce snicker. "It's only fair," she breathed out as his thrusts became deeper.

Whimpering in pleasure, she traced the lines of his abs. Taking him by surprise, she rolled him over onto his back. As she bounced on his cock, Bruce sighed at the feeling of the warm wet sheath wrapped around his cock. His hands gripped at her thighs, squeezed her tits, pulled her down into a kiss.

As their heartbeat raced, Darcy started to match the rhythm. Nearing climax, she slowed and rose up just enough to have just the tip inside her. Smirking down at him, she let herself fall. Repeating the process, Bruce found himself in agonizing pleasure.

Growling, both he and the Other Guy were in agreement, he pushed the tease off of him and pushed her down onto the bed on her hands and knees. Just as quickly, he shoved his cock into her slick pussy. Leaning over her, he whispered into his ear, "Such a tease."

"Hmm," she responded, her hands gripping the bed sheets as Bruce reached around her to hold her breasts. Already so close to orgasm, he let go of one of her tits and rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts.

"Come for me," he nuzzled into her shoulder, enjoying the fluttering of Darcy's pussy as she reached climax. Still thrusting into her, he pulled her up so that her back was against his chest. Moving his hands to her hips, he picked her up and dropped her back onto his cock, following her steady breaths. Just as he reached orgasm, he pulled her face to the side, tongue dipping into her mouth.

They both fell to the bed, Bruce rolling them so that he was laying on his back with her nestled in his arms.

At the same time, looking into each other's eyes, they smiled, completely happy at the turn of events that had led them to where they were now, in each other's arms.


End file.
